Remember that
without asking we can receive nothing, therefore ask in faith, and ye
shall receive such blessings as God sees fit to bestow upon you. Pray
not with covetous hearts that ye may consume it upon your lusts, but pray
earnestly for the best gifts— fight the good fight of faith, that ye
may gain the Crown which is laid up for those [p. 129]

Remember that
without asking we can receive nothing, therefore ask in faith, and ye
shall receive such blessings as God sees fit to bestow upon you. Pray
not with covetous hearts that ye may consume it upon your lusts, but pray
earnestly for the best gifts— fight the good fight of faith, that ye
may gain the Crown which is laid up in for those [p. 129]

An ordinance in which an individual is immersed in water for the remission of sins. The Book of Mormon explained that those with necessary authority were to baptize individuals who had repented of their sins. Baptized individuals also received the gift of...

Area settled, beginning 1785. Formed from Windsor Township, Apr. 1821. Population in 1830 about 2,400. Villages within township included Harpursville, Nineveh, and Colesville. Susquehanna River ran through eastern portion of township. JS worked for Joseph...

1804–15 Sept. 1834. Born in Oxford (later in Guilford), Chenango Co., New York. Daughter of Amariah Coburn and Rose Linda Lyon. Resided in Oxford, Chenango Co., by 1810. Moved to Greene, Chenango Co., by 1820. Moved to Colesville, Broome Co., New York, by...

Located in northeastern Pennsylvania. Area settled, by 1787. Organized 1809. Population in 1830 about 340. Population in 1840 about 520. Contained Harmony village (no longer in existence). Josiah Stowell hired JS to help look for treasure in area, Oct. 1825...

During the
Knights’ stay, plans were made for JS to meet with the church members in Colesville
on a specified day in late
August. The Knights returned to Colesville, and “arrangements were made for
the brethren and sisters to meet on that day, if possible, without letting our
enemies know anything about it.”3

However, the men who were to transport JS to Colesville did not arrive in
time for him to attend the meeting, and JS and John Whitmer

27 Aug. 1802–11 July 1878. Farmer, stock raiser, newspaper editor. Born in Pennsylvania. Son of Peter Whitmer Sr. and Mary Musselman. Member of German Reformed Church, Fayette, Seneca Co., New York. Baptized by Oliver Cowdery, June 1829, most likely in Seneca...

wrote this letter to explain
their absence. The version transcribed here, the earliest complete extant copy of
the letter, bears the date 20 August. An earlier,
incomplete copy of the letter, meanwhile, dates the letter to 28 August; that dating is accepted in the present
volume.4

The original letter is not extant and it is not known whether it was sent to Colesville

Area settled, beginning 1785. Formed from Windsor Township, Apr. 1821. Population in 1830 about 2,400. Villages within township included Harpursville, Nineveh, and Colesville. Susquehanna River ran through eastern portion of township. JS worked for Joseph...

received the letter and delivered its message to the Colesville believers. Likely on
4 September (the day he promised in the letter
that he would arrive), JS arrived in Colesville along with Hyrum Smith

9 Feb. 1800–27 June 1844. Farmer, cooper. Born at Tunbridge, Orange Co., Vermont. Son of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack. Moved to Randolph, Orange Co., 1802; to Tunbridge, before May 1803; to Royalton, Windsor Co., Vermont, 1804; to Sharon, Windsor Co., by...

27 Aug. 1802–11 July 1878. Farmer, stock raiser, newspaper editor. Born in Pennsylvania. Son of Peter Whitmer Sr. and Mary Musselman. Member of German Reformed Church, Fayette, Seneca Co., New York. Baptized by Oliver Cowdery, June 1829, most likely in Seneca...

. JS’s history recounts, “We that evening
assembled the church, and confirmed them, partook of the sacrament

Primarily referred to the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, or Communion, as opposed to other religious sacraments. The “Articles and Covenants” of the church directed “that the church meet together often to partake of bread and wine in remembrance of the Lord...

, and
held a happy meeting, having much reason to rejoice in the God of our salvation, and
sing Hosannas to his holy name.” The animosity toward members of the Church of
Christ

The Book of Mormon related that when Christ set up his church in the Americas, “they which were baptized in the name of Jesus, were called the church of Christ.” The first name used to denote the church JS organized on 6 April 1830 was “the Church of Christ...

in Colesville did not dissipate, however, and Knight recalled, “It
was not long after the Brethren had left us when . . . the mob began to collect to
gather and threaten and abuse us in a most Shameful and disgusting manner dureing
the remainder of the day.”5

Located in northeastern Pennsylvania. Area settled, by 1787. Organized 1809. Population in 1830 about 340. Population in 1840 about 520. Contained Harmony village (no longer in existence). Josiah Stowell hired JS to help look for treasure in area, Oct. 1825...

Area settled, beginning 1785. Formed from Windsor Township, Apr. 1821. Population in 1830 about 2,400. Villages within township included Harpursville, Nineveh, and Colesville. Susquehanna River ran through eastern portion of township. JS worked for Joseph...

1804–15 Sept. 1834. Born in Oxford (later in Guilford), Chenango Co., New York. Daughter of Amariah Coburn and Rose Linda Lyon. Resided in Oxford, Chenango Co., by 1810. Moved to Greene, Chenango Co., by 1820. Moved to Colesville, Broome Co., New York, by...

9 June 1812–3 Apr. 1884. Boardinghouse operator, weaver, teacher. Born at Sutton, Worcester Co., Massachusetts. Daughter of Jesse G. Goldthwaite and Sally Burt. Married first Calvin Bailey, fall 1828, but deserted by him, 1832. Moved to home of Eleazer Freeman...

Most pages measure 6 × 35/8 inches
(15 × 9 cm). Most of the leaves are inscribed on the recto
only. This manuscript was apparently created under the
supervision of Lydia
Goldthwaite Knight McClellan

9 June 1812–3 Apr. 1884. Boardinghouse operator, weaver, teacher. Born at Sutton, Worcester Co., Massachusetts. Daughter of Jesse G. Goldthwaite and Sally Burt. Married first Calvin Bailey, fall 1828, but deserted by him, 1832. Moved to home of Eleazer Freeman...

from 1835 until his
death in 1847, possessed documents of her late
husband that are no longer extant, including letters,
licenses, and certificates. It appears that those working
under her direction created this manuscript by copying with
some modifications from an earlier draft of Newel Knight’s
history, and by incorporating therein copies of these
various documents.1

In
February 1873, Lydia Goldthwaite Knight McClellan authored a
preface to Knight’s
history and explained that the creation of his history
was his “dying request.” She stated to her readers that
she had “done the best I could” in compiling the work
although “considerable” portions of Knight’s journal
were “kept on detached pieces of paper, and no doubt
many interesting & valuable portions are lost.”
(“Lydia Knight’s Statement,” 1, in Knight,
History.)

In the earlier Newel Knight
history from which this circa 1871 work was copied, Knight
himself apparently used JS’s history
published serially in the Times and
Seasons as a framework for his
narrative, at times copying the text verbatim.2

Compare
“History of Joseph Smith,” published
serially in the Times and
Seasons beginning 15 March
1842.

9 June 1812–3 Apr. 1884. Boardinghouse operator, weaver, teacher. Born at Sutton, Worcester Co., Massachusetts. Daughter of Jesse G. Goldthwaite and Sally Burt. Married first Calvin Bailey, fall 1828, but deserted by him, 1832. Moved to home of Eleazer Freeman...

—possibly this circa 1871 manuscript—to the
Church Historian’s Office. The Historian’s Office
journal mentions a history of Newel Knight in its 9
April 1872 entry, and states that the “tin box
containing history of Newel Knight” was returned to
“Sister Knight.”5